Potential for online crowdsourced biological recording data to complement surveillance for arthropod vectors

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Entomology
• Public Health

Background:

• Citizen science initiatives generate extensive biological datasets valuable for research.
• Online platforms, such as iNaturalist, collect global crowdsourced observations with potential for vector monitoring.
• Arthropod vector surveillance is crucial for public health, but traditional methods can be resource-intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the availability and utility of iNaturalist observations for monitoring key vector taxa.
• To determine if crowdsourced data can supplement existing vector surveillance programs.
• To evaluate the quality and scope of iNaturalist data for species identification and distribution analysis.

Main Methods:

• Investigated ten important vector taxa on the iNaturalist platform, focusing on mosquitoes (Culicidae) and ticks (Ixodida).
• Conducted case studies using iNaturalist data to assess species identification accuracy and compare with existing surveillance data.
• Analyzed seasonal occurrence, distribution patterns, and range expansion of selected tick and mosquito species.

Main Results:

• Mosquitoes and ticks had the most numerous records on iNaturalist, with substantial species diversity.
• iNaturalist data accurately reflected seasonal occurrence and distribution patterns for tick species in the UK and USA.
• The platform successfully detected expanding tick populations and invasive mosquito species, indicating potential for early detection and tracking.

Conclusions:

• iNaturalist serves as a valuable resource for supplementing vector surveillance data, particularly for distribution and seasonality.
• Crowdsourced data can aid in monitoring the spread of disease vectors, especially when traditional surveillance is limited.
• The study highlights the potential of citizen science data to enhance public health efforts against vector-borne diseases.